Nukbebihgr-head



A. H. SMITH.

NUMBERING HEAD.

APPLICATION FILEDVAUG. 12. 19l4.

L11 94 %5, Patented Aug. 15, 1910.

, Z6 i I I I C I mvemor: WM f $4 Atty,

AMOS E. SMITH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOE T0 AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

NUMBERING-HJEAD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ta 15, rate.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, AMos H. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at the borough of Bronx, in the city of New York, county of Bronx, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Numbering-Heads, of which the followingis a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, which form a partthereozt.

My invention relates to numbering heads and more particularly to a type thereof wherein the various digit wheels are pro vided with independently operative means adapted to hold their respective wheels. inoperative except when during the progressive movement of the various wheels, succeeding wheels must be turned.

In United States Letters Patent No. 1,138,328, granted to me under date of May 14, 1915, I have described a structure wherein each of the digit wheels,'excepting the units wheel, is provided with independently operative locking means, so that in transferring from one wheel to another only those wheels, the operative movement of which is necessary to the carrying movement, can be turned. In the aforesaid mechanism, the locking mechanism of each wheel of higher denomination is under the control of the digit wheel of next lower denomination and each of said wheels, in-

cluding the units wheel, is directly actuated from the main actuating mechanism, as distinguished from that type of numbering head wherein an independent; I transfer mechanism is, interposed between a wheel of one denomination and a wheel of next higher denomination. I

By my present invention, I rovide in conjunction with the digit whee construction above referred to, locking means for the units wheel which means is operative ten times during each full revolution of said units wheel. To simplify the structure of the numbering head and secure the timely release of the units wheel, I soconstruct andarrange the locking mechanism for this Wheel that it will be released upon and by, each actuation of the actuating mechanism and will be maintained or held in its inoperative position until the units wheel has received suflicient rotary movement to prevent the locking mechanism having any operative effect with relation thereto until said wheel has received a full one-tenth revolution, whereupon it will immediately and automatically arrest and prevent further movement of its wheel.

The construction and arrangement of this locking mechanism is such that it may be released independently of the main actuating mechanism, either alone or simultaneously with the locking mechanism for each of the other wheels, to facilitate the setting of said units wheel or any other digit wheel independently of any movement of any other wheel in the same set. This construction and arrangement is desirable as the numbering head may thus be set at any desired starting point without the necessity for securing the desired relative position of the various'digit wheels through the actuation of the wheels successively by means of a transfer mechanism and the rapid setting of the head is made possible.

The invention consists primarily in a numbering head embodying therein a sequence of digit wheels, means adapted to successively act directly upon each of'said wheels whereby said wheels may be progressively actuated, locking means acting upon each digit wheel, means carried by each digit wheel of a lower denomination operative upon the locking mechanism of the digit wheel of next higher denomination whereby said wheel of higher denomination will be released through the actuation of the wheel of next lower denomination at forth and described and more particularly pointed out in the claims hereto appended. Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation upon an enlarged scale of a:

numbering head embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an end view thereof; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. l; Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the releasing mechanism and the locking mechanism controlled thereby; and Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings, a indicatesa U-shaped frame carrying a" fixed shaft 7) upon which is loosely mounted a plurality of digit printing wheelsc, c275 0 0 in addition to a fixed but removable key type c and rotary key wheels 0 0 0 The first of these wheels is the units or primary digit wheel and the other wheels 0' to 0 are actuated in their order in arithmetical progression in accordance with the actuation of said units wheel A-machine such as is shown in the accompanying drawings is adapted to print in an ascending progression, and the following description will have reference more particularly to a machine of this type, it being understood, however, that the mechanism described may be reversed to have the head print in a descending progression as when. it is desired tohave the numbered articles arranged in piles with the high number uppermost.

Each of the wheels 0 to 0 is provided with a ratchet as d engaged by a spring pressed pawl as 6 adapted to hold its wheel against movement while the types are being inked, or a return movement of the wheel under the actuating means. Each of said wheels is provided with printing types from 0 to 9 there being aratchet tooth for each character. Each ratchet is also adapted to be engaged by a pawl f forming a part of the main actuating means, which operates in the usual and well-known manner, said pawls excepting that acting upon the units wheel, being so graduated in height as to be operative only during the transferring interval from a wheel of one denomination to the wheel of next higher denomination.

Each ratchet wheel at is provided with a recess as (1 into which the pawls f are adapted to drop when all digit wheels of lower denominations have the digit 9 in the printing position, thus bringing the pawl f of the wheel of next higher denomination into engagement with its ratchet. In starting with the-digit wheels at any figure excepting 9, all of the pawls f excepting that acting on the units wheel, will be held by the latter out of engagement with their respective ratchets. When the digit 9 of the units wheel'is in the printing position, the

pawl f of that wheel will drop into the recess d of ratchet d and thus permit the pawl of the tens wheel cooperating with its ratchet to drop into engagement therewith, all other pawls f, however, being held out of such engagement by reason of their graduated heights. With the progression of the numbering operation, the numbering wheels in sequence from the units Wheel, will thus be successively engaged by said actuating means so that all of said wheels of higher denomination about to be actuated upon the transferring operation will be simultaneously actuated by said means.

The pawls f are all pivotally mounted upon a rocking frame 9 mounted upon the shaft 6 and are so connected as to have simultaneous movement. A spring or springs 7 acts to force all of said pawls toward the ratchet d. This construction is old and well-known in the art and is described in detail merely because in this type of numbering head any wheel may be turned independently of the other, the actuating and transfer means being normally disengaged from the digit wheel.

Each of the rotatable digit wheels excepting the units wheel is provided with peripheral bolt sockets indicated at h and entering said sockets are the locking or bolt members 2' provided with extensions 71' adapted to enter between adjacent digit Wheels and be acted upon by a releasing mechanism carried by the wheel of next lower denomination to that upon which the locking or bolt member sets. This mechanism comprises a stud i carried by the extension 11 and entering a cam groove i of a width sufiicient to permit the manual release of said locking or bolt members. This groove has extending thereinto a riser 6 adapted to disengage the locking or bolt member 11 from its digitnvheel, when the digit wheel carrying said riser has the digit 9 in the printing position. The arrangement of 'members, however, is such that when any digit wheel has the digit 9 in the printing position, the looking or bolt member z of the wheel of next higher denomination will be disengaged from its socket It so asto permit the rotation of that wheel upon the next actuation of the'units wheel by the 'main actuating means, or the next transfer operation resulting from such actuation. When no transfer is to occur all of the digit wheels will be locked. The rotatable key wheels are also provided with such locking means so that when a certain number has been reached, the key wheels may be automatically changed to start a new series or if desired said locking means upon the key wheels'may be used without any actuating means therefor, so as to be permanently set, necessitating the shifting of these wheels by hand.

Carried by the units digit wheel 0, and rotatable therewith, is a disk j having therein a series of bolt sockets j, ten in number; preferably arranged intermediate the characters upon the units digit wheel so as to be alined with the sockets it upon the remaining digit wheels. Cooperating therewith is a looking or bolt member 70.

The looking or bolt members i and 7a are all mounted upon the same shaft Z and acting upon each of them is a spring as i and is having a normal tendency to seat said locking or bolt members or cause them to automatically engage their respective digit wheels. The various looking or bolt members z'-k are in the form of levers provided with heels 2' 7c by means of which said levers may be manually oscillated and simultaneously disengaged from their wheels to permit the manual rotation of said wheels in setting the head. In this connection it is to be noted that the wheels may always be manually turned independently of the main actuating mechanism when the various locking mechanisms are released.

. Extending across the frame a is a cam shaft 772 adapted to act upon the heels of all of the locking or bolt members z'-/c, said shaft being provided at one side of the head with an actuating lever 11%" by means of which it may be actuated. The side of the frame a adjacent which the lever m is positioned is provided with suitable openings as a which may be used to mount friction stops for holding said lever handle in position. Preferably, however, I omit such stops so that the springs acting upon the various looking or bolt members will automatically restore said cam shaft to normal, and thus prevent the operator from accidentally allowing the various locking members to remain disengaged from their digit Wheels after the head has been properly set.

The locking bolt member is of a width to extend beyond the edge of the disk j into the path of the cam carried by, and movable about the axis of, the oscillatory frame (7. The riser of this. cam has a peripheral length sufficient to hold said member 73 out of engagement with the disk j until the pawl f acting upon the ratchet (Z of the digit wheel 0 will have imparted substantially that entire one tenth revolution to said wheel, which constitutes the full feeding' movement thereof. The swinging frame 9 is actuated by means of the plunger 0 in the usual and well-known manner.

The operation of the herein described numbering head is substantially as follows :In starting a run, assuming that a series beginning with 1 is to be printed, all of the digit wheels will be properly set and each of the locking or bolt members 2' will be engaged with the bolt sockets it upon their respective wheels, and the locking member or bolt member 70 will be engaged with one of the bolt sockets j of the disk j. After the imprint has been made the plunger 0 will be depressed in the usual manner swinging the oscillating frame 9 in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, so as to cause the pawl f cooperating withthe ratchet d of the units wheel to engage the succeeding ratchet tooth upon its disk (Z. Toward the beginning of the movement, the cam a, carried by the said frame, will engage the projecting edge of the looking or bolt member 70 and force it out of the socket j in the disk j, the extended surface of this camnt holding the locking or bolt member in this position during the remaining 'portion of the movement of the frame by the plunger. When the plunger is released, the frame will be swung back to normal carrying the units wheel forward one tenth of a revolution and permitting the locking member or pawl it to enter the succeeding sockets 7" when this socket is brought into the proper relative position thereto through the rotary movement of the units wheel. The said looking or bolt member is pressed against the cam and toward the disk by its spring is at all times. If it be desired to have the bolt engage the periphery of the disk 7' in advance of instead of dropping directly from the cam a, into this socket, the riser ofsaid cam may be so shortened as to secure this result. Such a construction might be desirable, when owing to the operation of the head at high speeds, the inertia of the spring might be such as to slightly retard the movement of the said locking member so as to permit the moving inertia of the units wheel to carry the socket slightly beyond the point of the engagement of said member therewith, with a resultant loss of alinement in the units wheel. This operation is repeated with each actuation of the units wheel, this wheel being normally locked against movement by the looking or bolt member 7a and being released only during that interval-when it is desired to impart rotary movement to the units wheel.

Upon the tenth actuation of the units wheel the locking or bolt member 2' of the tens wheel will be disengaged from the bolt socket it of the tens .wheel and the pawl acting upon the ratchet d of the units wheel will drop into the recess d of the said ratchet bringing the pawl f of the tens wheel into operative engagement with the ratchet (Z of said wheel. Hence upon the completion of this tenth actuation both the units and tens wheel will be actuated. Upon the tenth actuation of the tens wheel and the one hundredth actuation of the units wheel the pawl f of the tens wheel will drop into the recess (l of the ratchet wheel at of the tens wheel causing the pawl f of the one hunment to the hundreds wheel and all wheels of lower denomination. This operation is repeated with thearithmetical progression of the numbering wheels upon the transfer from a wheel of one denomination to the wheel of higher denomination.

Briefly, all of the digit wheels will be normally locked against movement by the looking or bolt members z'la. When the' units wheel only is to be moved the locking or'bolt member is alone will be released. When the tens wheel is to be moved the locking or bolt member for both the tens and units wheel will be released. When the hundreds wheel is to be moved'th e locking or bolt mecha nism therefore and for the tens and units wheel will 'be released, all wheels of lower denomination being released and the wheel of higher denomination about to be moved also being released but all higher denominations being locked. Assuming that any digit wheel of higher denomination is set at 9 so that the wheel of next higher denomination will be released, and no transferring to this released wheel is to occur, some wheel of lower denomination will be locked so that the power applied to the units wheel or to any wheels between the released wheel and the units wheel will have no operative effect upon the wheel of highest denomination which is released.

The holding pawls 6 will prevent a return movement of any digit wheel upon the forward oscillatory movement of the frame'g and the pawls f carried thereby in the usual and well-known manner.

If it be desired to merely set one Wheel, the locking or bolt member 71 or is acting thereon may be released by merely drawing it out of ,its socket thus permitting that wheel to be turned while preventing movement of the adjoining wheels. If,'however,- it is desired to set the entire head, the handle m is used to turn the cam shaft on which will act upon the heels i 7c of the various locking or bolt members forcing them all out of engagement with their respective wheels and permitting the turning of any of said wheels. By putting friction studs in the holes a, the lever handle m may be held in either the operative or the inoperative posi- "tion, although under most-circumstances, I

would prefer not to use such studs as the various springs acting upon the locking or bolt members z'-Z: would prevent the movement of said shaft through vibrations and the freedom of movement of the lever, due to the absence of such studs, would result in the various looking or bolt members automatically restoring the cam shaft m to normal, and said members operatively engaging their respective wheels immediately upon the release of the said lever handle.

the remaining wheels.

By the construction herein shown and described, I am enabled to provide a numbering head wherein all of the digit wheels will be normally locked and movement of one wheel by another, except during the transfer operation, will be prevented. I also secure absolute alinement of the various digit wheels. Furthermore, a numbering head made in accordance with my invention, may

be readily set independently of the transfer mechanism, and if desired, a single wheel may be set without releasing any of By arranging the looking or bolt members at the peripheries of the digit wheels they are so located that they are readily accessible at all times and the assembling of the mechanism is facilitated.

It is not my intention to limit the invention to the precise details of construction shown. in the accompanying drawings, it being apparent that such may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having .described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent is --1. A numbering head embodying therein a sequence of digit wheels, means adapted to successively act directly upon each of said wheels whereby said wheels may be progressively actuated, independently operative locking means acting upon the units wheel and upon each digit wheel of higher denomination respectively, means carried by each digit wheel of a lower denomination operative upon the locking means of the digit wheel of next higher denomination whereby said wheel of higher denomination will be released through the actuation of the wheel of next lower denomination at such times as the operation of transferring from the lower wheel to the higher wheel'occurs, the wheel of higher denomination remaining locked at all other times, main actuating means, and means carried by said main actuating means and operative upon said units wheel locking means, whereby said units wheel locking means will be rendered inoperative upon each actuation of said main actuating means.

2. Anumbering head embodying therein a sequence of digit wheels, means adapted to successively act directly upon each of said .wheels whereby said wheels may be progressively actuated, independently operative locking means acting upon' the units wheel and upon each digit wheel of higher denomination respectively, means carried by each digit wheel of a lower denomination operative upon the locking means of the digit wheel of next higher denomination whereby said wheel of higher denomination will be released through-the actuation of the wheel of, nextlower denomination at such times tit) mamas as the operation of transferring from the lower wheel to the higher wheel occurs, the wheel of higher denomination remaining locked at all other times, main actuating means embodying therein a rotatable member and a cam carried thereby adapted to operatively engage the locking means of said units wheel whereby said units wheel looking means will be rendered inoperative during each actuation of said main actuating means. I

3. A numbering head embodying therein a sequence of digit wheels, means adapted to successively act directly upon each of said wheels whereby said wheels may be progressively actuated, independently operative locking means acting upon each digit wheel of a denomination higher than the units wheel, means carried by each digit wheel of a lower denomination, operative upon the locking mechanism of the digit wheel of next higher denomination whereby said wheel of higher denomination will be released through the actuation of the wheel of next lower denomination at such times as the operation of transferring from the lower wheel to the higher wheel occurs and the wheel of higher denomination is locked at all other times, a disk having peripheral sockets therein carried by the units digit wheel, a locking member cooperating with said disk, main actuating means embodying therein a rotatable member, and a cam carried by said rotatable member and adapted to operatively engage the locking member of said .units wheel whereby said locking member will be rendered inoperative upon each actuation of said main actuating means.

4. A numbering head embodying therein a sequence of digit wheels, means adapted to successively act directly upon each of said wheels whereby said wheels may be progressively actuated, a shaft parallel with the axis of said digit wheels, a plurality of independently movable locking members mounted upon said shaft and adapted to act upon the units digit wheel and upon each digit wheel of higher denomination respectively, means carried by each digit wheel of a lower denomination operative upon the locking member of the digit wheel of next higher denomination whereby said wheel of higher denomination will be released through the actuation of the wheel of next lower denomination at such times as the operation of transferring from the lower wheel to the higher wheel occurs, the wheel of higher denomination remaining locked at all other times, main actuating means, means carried by said main actuating means and operative upon said units wheel locking member whereby said units wheel locking member will be rendered inoperative during each actuation of said main actuating means and means common to all of said locking members whereby they may be simultaneously disengaged from their digit wheels respectively.

5. A numbering head embodying therein a sequence of digit wheels, means adapted to successively act directly upon each of said wheels whereby said wheels may be progressively actuated, a shaft parallel with the axis of said digit wheels, a plurality of independently movable locking members mounted upon said shaft and adapted to act upon the units digit wheel and each digit wheel of higher denomination respectively, means carried by each digit wheel of a lower denomination operative upon the locking member of the digit wheel of next higher denomination whereby said wheel of higher denomination will be released through the actuation of the wheel of next lower denomination at such times as the operation of transferring from the lower wheel to the higher wheel occurs, the wheel of higher denomination remaining locked at all other times, main actuating means, means carried by said main actuating means and operative upon said units wheel locking member whereby said units wheel locking member will be rendered inoperative during each actuation of said main actuating means, a cam shaft adaptedto operatively engage all of said locking members whereby they may be simultaneously disengaged from their respective digit wheels and means whereby said cam shaft may be turned.

6. A-number'ing head embodying therein a sequence of digit wheels, means adapted to successively act directly upon eachof said wheels whereby said wheels may be progressively actuated, a shaft parallel with the axis of said digit wheels, a plurality of independently movable locking members mounted upon said shaft and adapted to act upon the units digit wheel and each digit wheel of higher denomination respectively, means carried by each digit wheel of a lower denomination operative upon the locking member of the digit wheel of next higher denomination whereby said wheel of higher denomination will be released through the actuation of the wheel of next lower denomination at such times as the operation of transferring from the lower wheel to the higher wheel occurs, the wheel of higher denomination remaining locked at all other times, main actuating means, means carried by said main actuating means and operative upon said units wheel, locking member whereby said units wheel locking'member will be rendered inoperative during each actuation of said main actuating means, a cam shaft adapted to operatively engage all of said locking members whereby they may be simultaneously disengaged from their respective digit wheels, a frame supporting said digit wheels, said actuating means, said locking members, and said cam shaft, and an operating handle ltd mounted upon saidcam shaft in close juxta- In witness whereof I hereunto afiix my position to one side of said frame, said frame signature in the presence of two subscribing adjacent to said handle being adapted to rewitnesses;this 16th day of July, 1914.

ceive restraining means cooperating with AMOS H. SMITH. 5 said handle whereby said cam shaft may be Witnesses:

Pocked in the operative or the inoperative CL'ARIQE FRANoK,

positions. I T. T. WENTWORTH, 

